


The Present

by mints (laurenmin)



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22292227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurenmin/pseuds/mints
Summary: present (noun): something that you are given, without asking for it, on a special occasion, especially to show friendship, or to say thank you;present (noun): the period of time that is happening now, not the past or the future;Can both coexist at the same instant?
Relationships: Im Changkyun | I.M/Original Female Character(s), Im Changkyun | I.M/Reader, Im Changkyun | I.M/You, Monsta X Ensemble/Original Female Character(s), Monsta X Ensemble/Reader, Yoo Kihyun/Original Female Character(s), Yoo Kihyun/Reader, Yoo Kihyun/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. 01

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the first writing that I have been working on and I really hope that you will enjoy your time here! 
> 
> OC/You/Reader: Park Ha-eun  
> Italics are mostly for the characters' thoughts, and other times for emphasis.
> 
> Thank you for giving this a chance!

As strange as it may seem, it wasn't too often for one to spot someone dressed in full black entering an entertainment company. To add, this someone had his/her cap and hood still on even far indoors.

He eyed the person before him strangely. She didn’t have a staff pass with her, and donned a highly suspicious outfit - black hood over a cap, a black backpack perhaps large enough to contain a large professional camera and he immediately thought that she should not be here. 

You glanced up from your phone slightly when you felt a figure blocking your view, and moved to the right to continue your way. But the figure before you moved along with you. You shifted left this time, and he followed yet again. 

You could not help but to let out a deep ~~sigh~~ breath before the figure confronted you. ‘Excuse me- Outsiders are not allowed in here.’ 

‘I’m a staff.’ Your voice came out in a half-whisper unconsciously, hoping real hard that he wouldn't question you any further. You were already jittery enough in the unknown environment, semi-dreading meeting a certain person, and did not need any additional concern in your hands. 

‘I don’t see your staff card.’ _Whoever he is, he sure is persistent-_

‘I don’t have one yet.’ 

Wanting to identify who the intruder was, he lifted your cap slightly, but was taken aback when his hand got smacked away before he managed to get a good look of you. 

The moment you felt your cap being adjusted by the stranger and your hair shifting beneath it, your hand acted on impulse. Yet, not sparing yourself time to address the situation any further, your phone started ringing. 

‘Oppa!’ And he immediately noticed the change in your tone, and volume, as you directed your attention away from him. ‘I’m here already! I lost my way and some strange guy was holding me back.’ You answered, not sparing the said male another glance as you quickly made your way past the obstacle. 

_Is she meeting her boyfriend here or something?_

Contemplating for a moment to follow you to perhaps get a good scoop, he was interrupted, ‘Yah! We’re needed back.’ 

_And what strange guy? Was she actually referring to me?_

As per usual, the boys were gathered around their leader before the day's practice commences. But today's briefing had a slightly different agenda compared to usual. 

'Before we start, Dowoon has some urgent matters to attend to so the band has gotten a substitute for the next few weeks of practices. Hopefully he'll be back for the last few practices but don't worry, he'll make it for the final.' Hyunwoo started, gesturing to the back of the room where the band would be playing the instrumentals from. Both groups have been preparing a collaboration stage for a for an upcoming festival. 

'But the BPM- Are you sure the sub can keep up?' Kihyun voiced out his worry, Dowoon has been doing an amazing job given how the instrumental arrangements had been made to accommodate to their performance, which means an extremely fast BPM to work with. 

'According to them, we'll barely notice the change. I guess that means he's as good at his job. Hopefully we wouldn't have to mind him.'

'Then that should be fine right?' 

'It'll work out.' Before Hoseok could answer more to Hyungwon's question, they were interrupted by the noise coming from the corridor. And mere seconds later, their curiosity was responded with confusion. 

‘Hyunwoo hyung, I thought you said ‘he’.’ Minhyuk promptly asked, all eyes firmly on the new drummer as the band waved a greeting to them. 

'That's definitely not a 'he'.' Jooheon chimed in, to which Hyunwoo shrugged, at the same time shooing the boys to scatter. 

‘I just assumed that it would be a guy. Get into your places, practice's starting.'

With that, the boys were silenced and stowed their confusion away for later. 

'Park Haeun!'

You were stopped in your tracks as YoungK's voice rang through the room, you frozen in place with your sticks in your hand as you were about to make a beeline for the exit. You had one and _only one_ goal in your mind once practice ended, which was to escape as soon as possible and to make least contact with the company in the room. _Please don't call me over. Please-_ 'Come over here and introduce yourself!' And in that very moment, your grip tightened.

You did not have to look up to know that all eyes were on you. Your legs were screaming for you to continue with your evacuation route, however, all you could do was to comply and edge closer to where the guys have gathered. 

'I'm Park Haeun.' You bowed, keeping your eyes away from their faces. 'I apologize for the late introduction. It's nice to meet all of you. I'll work doubly hard not to trouble any of you.' 

Your heels were already at work as soon as you were done rambling, before you got un-courteously held back by the hood of your jacket, and was turned back once again to face the seven males aside the band. 'She'll be subbing for Dowoon, he had some matters to attend to. Pardon her, she doesn't do well with strangers.' 

You made a mental note to get back at Jae later as you tried to shimmy out of his grip, only to have him smiling cheekily back at you, knowing well how much you hated the attention. 

'How about we go grab dinner together!' The preparation of your new escape route was hastily disrupted when someone's cheerful voice snapped you back into reality. _I'm sure they probably mean within themsel-_ 'To celebrate our new addition!' _Help._

'Sounds like a good idea to me!' Jooheon piped, looking over at Hyunwoo who glanced at Sungjin. 

_Nonono oppa you know I don't-_ You tried real hard to send your message mentally to him, but he refused to look at you, knowing the guilt he'll be struck with if he did, especially seeing what he was about to do. 'Sure, we'll pack up real quick, meet you at the lobby when we're done?'

_Great. Even Sungjin oppa betrayed me. I'm pretty sure 'socializing' was not in the job scope. I only agreed to help out with Dowoon oppa's parts!_

While he watched you heading to tidy up the space, he could not help but to notice the slump in your shoulders, on top of how he saw your eyes staring worriedly at Sungjin just moments ago. 

'Lee Minhyuk, don't try anything funny. We just met her.' Kihyun warned as he saw the former practically bouncing in excitement. 

‘I like her already.' Changkyun's head snapped up when he heard that comment, startled, before getting a grip of himself. 'It’s my mission to make her feel comfortable with us.’ 

‘And who gave you that mission?’ 

‘Me.’ Minhyuk chirped again in response to Hoseok, only to get a low sigh from their leader. 

'Don't make her uncomfortable. Jaehyung said that she doesn't do well with strangers.' 

And of course that was not enough to put out the excitement bubbling in the mood-maker. 

'The special guest will sit here~' Minhyuk's hands were on your shoulder as he steered you towards an empty seat in the middle of the long table, earning himself some looks from multiple people at the same table, an amused one from the band, and a disapproving one from his members. 'And I will sit here~ YAH-'

'Did you already forget what Hyunwoo hyung said?' Minhyuk got ~~shoved~~ shifted to the right rudely while Kihyun sandwiched himself between the both of you, taking the seat next to yours which the former was aiming for. 

That, you were thankful for, since you now had a boulder between you and the ever enthusiastic Minhyuk. But before you could even be relieved, another problem appeared when you took in the person who took the seat opposite of yours. 

'Wouldn't Changkyun taking that seat make her feel even more uncomfortable?' Minhyuk whined, to which fell on deaf ears as everyone filed into their seats. Fortunately for you, Sungjin took the seat to your left, knowing that you need at least an anchor near you, and he had already done enough with making you eat with them. Meanwhile, the rest of the band were scattered across the table, happily engaging in conversations with people you've just met for the first time. Even Wonpil who didn't participate in this conspiracy was now having the time of his life, not sparing a thought about your discomfort. 

You were immensely grateful when Kihyun kept quiet the entire time, _Finally, someone who actually paid attention when Jaehyung oppa was talking_ , you thought to yourself, not knowing that he was the same person that you shunned earlier that day in the lobby. 

'You alright?' Sungjin whispered to you, to which you nodded as you shoved yet another spoonful of rice into your mouth, not removing your eyes from the bowl in front of you for the entire meal and relying on the elder to place side dishes on your rice. 

'I've had better days.' You whispered back. Honestly, your neck was starting to hurt, but you refused to lift it up. Yet, the chatter was starting to pile up your guilt. You never knew how to interact with people you've just met- much less high-profile people. And you were starting to feel sorry imagining how Minhyuk would have felt at your evident suffering after planting you in this situation, and how everyone there would have felt. 

With an unconsciously loud sigh, you pulled yourself together, determined to not ruin the mood any further. 

Kihyun was startled slightly at the sound coming from you after minutes of silence, only to catch a small 'You can do this.' following your ~~outburst~~ sigh. 

Following that, the rest of the meal went on pleasantly, the mood slightly brighter now that you don't look like you were in sorrow. Also, amazing your own self, you actually initiated some conversations, asking them what they were up to, and getting to know them better bit by bit. However, all that was on your mind was you questioning yourself if you made it obvious. If you kept silent- nothing would have been suspicious. But now that you tried your very best to talk to them- you were hoping that you didn't sound out of sorts whenever you looked at the person seated directly opposite you. Perhaps you were just being paranoid, it has been a bad habit of yours to perpetually be worried whenever you were talking to people face to face, even at this age you could not make proper eye-contact with people. 

_It's okay, you'll never have to talk to him one-on-one. Just keep calm, stop overthinking, he probably wouldn't have noticed a single thing._ Was what kept you going through the rest of the meal. Yet, you may have jinxed it with this very thought. 

If only the meal never ended, you wouldn't be in this situation right now. 

Kihyun wanted to apologize for his mistake earlier on, it was rude of him to touch your cap back then despite his suspicions, and wanted to hopefully catch you alone else he would have to explain himself to the rest which he would rather not. While everyone else was occupied, he made his way out of the restaurant a while after you, only to stop by the door when he saw that someone else has beaten him to you. _Changkyun knows her?_


	2. 02

The day's events ran through your mind as you stared at the ceiling above you. You were dead tired, but could not seem to fall asleep until you have figured out for yourself what had actually happened that day. 

That was until your phone vibrated next to you. Only to reveal a message from the person that started it all. 

**[Dowoon Oppa] So how was Day 1?**

**What do you think?**

**[Dowoon Oppa] Knowing them, you probably would have been dragged out for dinner after practice?**

**You knew that and yet you didn't give me a heads up?**

**[Dowoon Oppa] You sound like you survived it well though?**

**Really? Do I really?**

Looking at the both of you, Kihyun contemplated whether or not to approach you. However, before he could come to a decision, he found himself making eye contact when Changkyun turned around abruptly. ‘Hyung! We’ll go get ice cream and be back in a while!’ 

He was not given a chance to respond before the younger turned back and pulled you along, your hand held in his. _Now what am I suppose to make out of this situation-_

The moment he saw you enter the room with the band, he thought he was hallucinating. Yet he was not given any time to confront the countless questions popping up in his head and had to get a grip on himself immediately before anyone took notice. 

The last time he heard from you was three years ago. And all contact since then was cut off. It was not as if it ended on a bad note, neither can it be considered a good one. But he was bent on starting things well between the both of you now that you found each other again. 

Changkyun wanted to catch up with you without the attention of others, which was extremely hard back at the company and at dinner - with everyone hyped up over their new addition. And when he saw you heading out, he quickly followed behind, hoping that no one would realize. 

Yet, knowing you, he already noticed your hands fidgeting behind your back and your eyes darting around before he could even start. _Right- I need a better plan._

As everyone got busy with their conversations, you excused yourself for a breather outside the restaurant, but was startled when that one familiar voice called out your name. 

You wanted to be like a normal, sociable person - but your normal was you struggling to hold conversations one-to-one, especially with him. _Help._ Unconsciously, your bad habit was kicking in, and you did not realize that Changkyun has caught on within that few seconds. 

'Let's go get ice cream for the rest.' You were certain an incoherent sound came out of your mouth when you found his hand tugging onto yours, before you were pulled away. 'We'll catch up on our way there.' 

'B-But the rest of-' You stuttered, only to have him turning behind, shouting at a fellow member whom you did not catch as you were too busy being caught off guard by the abduction, before you found yourselves heading towards the nearest convenience store. 

'How have you been?' He started, he too hoping that he sounded normal - not wanting to have his plans plummeting before he could even do anything. 

'Uh- Oppa...' You trailed off as you looked at your hands, before shimmying out of his grip and returning your hand to your side, your eyes quickly back to the road before you.

'Right. Sorry-' _Great. Did I just make things awkward- It's fine. It's fine._

'I've been doing fine.' You started before Changkyun could spiral into an apology that was not required, but ended up trailing off as you did not know how to continue. 

Changkyun could not tell much from your tone- whether or not you were faking it, especially since it's been long and you not looking at him was not helping. But he was the one who suggested it, knowing that it would have been uncomfortable for you if you just stood there facing each other while talking. 

'I'm sorry, about back there. Minhyuk hyung might have been a little much for your liking.' 

'No- No, it's alright... It's just me.' Before you realized, you found yourself adding, 'Don't you dare confront him about it, it's not him.'

'Alright. Don't worry, I won't.' He chuckled lightly seeing how you looked at him sternly to assert your point. _She didn't change the slightest_. 'Shouldn't you be in school?'

'I took a break for a while. I'll resume after I'm done helping Dowoon oppa.'

That's when the question that has been disturbing him made its way back to his mind. Changkyun was deliberating whether or not to ask you about your relationship with them right when something by the edge of his eye caught his attention.

The time between the ringing of a bell, a blur of figure zooming past you, and you being firmly pulled to Changkyun's side was mere milliseconds. And you stood frozen. 

'Thanks...' Pulling yourself back to reality once the cyclist was out of sight, you quickly kept your distance and felt his arm slipping off your shoulder. The warmth he provided disappeared as sudden as its appearance. 

That was when an awkward silence ensued. 

It probably was not as bad as it seemed. But your mind was screaming at you that it was awkward, and even if it was not in reality, you were jittery. And you had to address the elephant in the room else you had zero confidence in keeping up the 'I Don't Know Him' facade when you return to the group currently waiting for the both of you. 

'Changkyun oppa, about that last conversation we had-' 

_She- Beat me to it again._ Changkyun quickly suppressed a sigh of disappointment at himself, _Im Changkyun, you should be the one bringing it up!_ 'Yea, I wanted to talk to you about that too.'

'We can still be friends right?' You quickly said, before he could suggest anything else, simply wanting to move on from this topic as fast as possible. 

_Friends- That's not exactly what I-_ 'S-Sure.'

Finally, for the first time that night, you smiled at him hearing his answer. And he found himself forcing a smile back, hoping that you would not notice the hesitation.

Right on cue, you arrived at the convenience store before the need for any more conversation starters. Also, thankfully for you, it meant that your time alone with him has almost come to an end. 

Having chosen the band's usual picks, you were reaching for your own ice cream when you noticed Changkyun grabbing two handfuls of the chocolate ice cream bar. 'I've taken yours already.' 

'The other oppas like this too?' You asked unconsciously, looking at the assortment of ice cream in your arms and then back at him. 

'I'll just get the same thing for everyone.' He mumbled before heading to the counter while you followed closely behind. _It must be a coincidence right? He can't possibly remember me liking that particular ice cream. It's just a common pick._

You were high-key dreading the trip back. The band already knew about you and Changkyun beforehand - but to disappear together all of a sudden would definitely have been a surprise to his members. 

And you could not have been any more accurate. 

'Y'all just left like that?' Jooheon asked in shock when the both of you made your reappearance. 

‘We went to get ice cream.’ Changkyun said indifferently as Hyungwon took the bag from him, as if that answer would appease them. Obviously, and unfortunately, it did not. 

‘Y'all just left like that?’ Minhyuk repeated word for word, this time more aggressively. But not surprisingly, he did not get a response from the younger one while you looked uncertainly between them. 

Seeing how Changkyun had no intention to entertain the older males, Minhyuk turned back, grinning, at you. 'Changkyun's friend is our friend too! I feel much closer to you already.' 

In the time you were gone, Day6 had filled them up briefly on that you knew each other from before their debut- Not wanting to give away anything by accident as they were on your side, they left out the details for the party involved to explain to them himself if necessary.

And that was precisely what his members were intending to do- 

'How could you hide your friend from us!'

With that came an influx of questions that you could not catch up with as they attacked Changkyun while you and the band watched in awe, though it was promptly shortened by Hyunwoo. 'We can continue this at home. We don't want to hold them back.'

'Also, we'll be seeing each other tomorrow too.' Hoseok added. 

You were packing up along with the others when you heard a question from beside you, seemingly directed at you. ‘How are you heading back?’ 

‘T-Train?’ You looked up, stuttering slightly, taken aback at the sudden question from Kihyun. 

Having overheard the question, Sungjin came to your rescue, putting an end to all your interactions for the rest of that night, fortunately. ‘It’s late. We’ll drop her off at her place.’ 

You were wrong when you thought you would be spared from the questioning unlike Changkyun. You were absolutely off. They simply managed to put off their interrogation to the car ride instead of starting it right at the restaurant. 

‘So where did the two of you go just now?’ Jae started, everyone having turned in their seats to face you. 

'Ice cream!' You said in exasperation, only to have them eyeing you skeptically. 'Hey, I was nice enough to pick your favorites, did you not see what he got them.'

Silence.

‘I told you it’s nothing!’ 

‘Doesn’t seem like nothing to me~’ YoungK teased, wiggling his finger at you while you smacked him with the cushion you grabbed off the seat. 

‘Oppa you promised not to talk about it.’ 

* * *

It was during debrief of the session with the band after you agreed to help them out while Dowoon was away. And you needed to tell them the situation straight out just in case anything arises in the future as you were pretty sure you needed someone to stop you from doing anything dumb. 

‘I wouldn’t be obvious. I’ll just be slightly conscious. That’s all.’ 

‘You do know that they’re the same thing right.’ Wonpil scoffed at you to which you shot him a look. 

‘It’ll be fine! It wouldn’t interfere practice. I’ll put my 1001% concentration into practice, you wouldn’t even notice Dowoon oppa isn’t here.’ 

‘Are you sure you're okay,’ Sungjin, who has kept silent the entire time, finally spoke up. ‘We can find someone else to help if you’re uncomfortable with it.’ 

‘No, no it’s fine. I can do this. There’s nothing between us anymore! I just wanted to let you all know that I know him, and not that it will ever pop up that-‘ 

Right at that moment, the phone rang signalling a video call from Dowoon to get updates from that day's session.

**‘So, what did I miss today-'**

‘Our Haeun got rejected by Changkyun before!’ Jae shouted into the phone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Hope that this chapter did not disappoint and really thank you for giving this a chance! Hope that you're enjoying this so far and will stick around for more ^^  
> Thank you really much for the comments and kudos! Will try not to keep you waiting long for the next chapter!  
> Thank you <3


	3. 03

'We're just friends.' Changkyun groaned, repeating himself for the _umpteenth_ time. 

' _'Just friends'_ and you didn't tell us anything???' Minhyuk asked, his hands flailing around in exasperation. 

'To hide this from us- People would think that the both of you dated and broke up or something.' Jooheon added to the prying, both of them sticking closely next to the youngest. 

Changkyun knew that they will not stop regardless of his answers, and not wanting to entertain them anymore, headed straight for his room and closed the door tightly behind him. 

'And his behavior right now definitely seems like that's the case.' Minhyuk chimed in agreement. 'Pretty sure it's _YOUR_ fault that the both of you broke up!'

Hyunwoo shook his head silently as he watched the younger members jumping to conclusions, to which Hoseok commented, 'I'm pretty sure you are the only ones who will get that idea.'

'You guys better not pester Haeun about this tomorrow.' 

Jooheon grinned in response to Kihyun's warning, raising his hands in defense. 'Of course, we'd know better.' 

'That's right. We'll just harass the soul out of Changkyun.'

'That is if _he_ doesn't out last you.' Hyungwon pointed out. 

‘But why would she pretend like she didn’t know Changkyun?’ 

‘Well, Jae did say that she's uncomfortable with strangers.’ 

‘Then again, if we are enough to overwhelm Changkyun’s presence, he must have been a sucky friend.’

‘There were _SIX_ of us strangers and _ONE_ Changkyun.’

‘ _STILL A SUCKY FRIEND._ ’ Minhyuk repeated again, raising his voice as he knew that Changkyun could still hear him from inside his room. 

  
All the pestering indeed got to him. Not that he was going to show that he was affected by it. 

_Why would she pretend not to know me?_

_She just didn’t have the time to react. That’s all. We started practice right after we came in._

_And then everyone was busy with introductions._

_And then there was dinner._

Keeping it as discreet as possible, Changkyun purposely aimed for the seat directly opposite you, but to his dismay, you showed zero response. 

_In fact, she did react._

_She was so bent on NOT lifting her head to look at me._

* * *

_Oh- I'm here._

You took a look around but the corridor was silent. After making sure once more that you were at the correct room, you took a peek into the room through the tiny window, _The lights are off-_ which means you were the first one there.

**Will you be reaching soon? I'm early.**

Seeing that not _one_ \- but a number of them were already typing once your message was delivered, you quickly sent another message, not wanting to be subjected to their sarcasm. 

**I'm already outside the _CORRECT_ practice room. I know where I'm at. **

**[Jaehyung Oppa] I wouldn't take your word for it.**

**[Wonpil Oppa] Believing one of those statements is already hard enough. Do you really expect us to believe _BOTH_? **

Looking at your phone screen, you were questioning why you were still staring at the conversation- Right, you have yet to get a reply to the very first, and only, question that you have asked. 

**[Sungjin Oppa] We'll be there in 10.**

Smiling at the message, you barely sent out a **'Thank you!'** seconds before you were shocked out of your wits. 

'You're early.' You stayed frozen for a good few seconds before slowly turning around to the source of the voice over your shoulder. 

‘Y-Yeah.’ You answered, still unsure how you were supposed to address them-

 _He's not supposed to be here this early_. On the other hand, you and the band have arranged to reach one hour earlier to warm up before practice starts for everyone. 

‘I didn’t use as much time getting lost as I expected.’ 

And that statement reminded Kihyun of the incident the day before. _Right- Still have yet to apologize for it._ 'You got lost yesterday at JYP too, didn't you?' 

You paused for a moment, your head tilted slightly- _Lost?_ 'No, I didn't?' 

_Right- She wasn't lost. I just caught her looking suspicious._ 'Right, sorry about that. Also, sorry for the-' He made a flinging gesture towards his head, only to have you staring back at him, confused. 

_Why is he apologizing so much when we’ve only met yesterday- And the only interaction thus far just started a few seconds ago?_

‘For this.’ Kihyun flicked your cap again, lightly, this time. Instantaneously, he saw your eyes flash anger which you immediately covered up thereafter, and he chuckled. 'Yesterday. I’m sorry. I thought you weren’t supposed to be there.’ 

‘Oh- It’s alright- I’m sorry I didn’t know that was you- Also it’s fine. I get that a lot.’ 

‘The flicking of the cap?’ He asked, shocked. 

‘No, the _‘you weren’t supposed to be there’.'_ You were starting to get fidgety as you looked around, expecting them to arrive soon behind Kihyun and also very certain you were not prepared to face him without the band beside you- Only to be greeted with the silent corridor from before. 'Aren’t you supposed to be here in an hour? Where’s the rest?’ 

'The rest of them are still snacking. I'm here to check if the drum set is here.' Without your question, he nearly forgot what he was there for, and he quickly opened the door, before adding with a sigh. 'Which, it is not.' 

Kihyun turned to you as he gestured for you to enter the room. 'Wait inside- I'll go move it.' 

'No, it's okay. I can do it.' And you totally did not miss how he paused and glanced at you from head to toe. 'I can do it myself, _really_. You should head back to join them-'

'That aside, do you know _WHERE_ to get the drumset from?'

 _Now that's a valid argument_. 'I’ll know if you tell me where it is.’ 

‘I’m not going to. I’ll bring it over. You wait _right here_ and have the door open for me.’ 

‘But you can’t carry it yourself.’ You added quickly, which stopped Kihyun who was just about to turn and head on his way. 

‘If you’re saying that because of me eyeing you- I’ve got it- I’m sorry for being rude.’ 

‘I’m saying that partly because of that, but also- You _really can’t carry it_.’ 

‘You _wait right here_ and _don’t move_.’ With a scoff, Kihyun stormed away. _Is she actually belittling me? Why can't I carry a mere drum set?_

You saw him disappear into one of the doors down the narrow corridor- _If it’s his first time, he wouldn’t be able to-_ Only to appear back out within a few seconds, empty-handed.

‘So,' Kihyun started, his voice echoing through the corridor with him raising it ever so slightly, not having to walk all the way back for you to hear him, 'How do you take that thing apart.’ 

And even from where he was standing, he could see you trying to stifle your laughter. 

_Great, our first meeting and it’s already not going well. I’m coming off as a rude jerk on the first day, and a brainless idiot AND rude jerk on the second day._

'This is the last of it.'

‘Thank you. You can just put it there, I’ll move it in place.’ Kihyun nodded as he silently obeyed you, placing the snare down near you, before retreating slightly away. 

But the silence did not stay for long. 

'Are you sure you don't need help?' Seeing you, a girl, assembling the _unexpectedly_ heavy parts to the drum set alone, made Kihyun feel even more dissatisfied with himself especially after he was so determined to better his thus far not-so-pleasant first impression he has given you. 

'It's alright-'

Right then, you caught a familiar face peeking into the room before the door burst open. 

'See! I told you she couldn't have made it here alone.' 

And that was when Kihyun noticed you glaring again. Though this time it didn't disappear as fast as before. 

'Kihyun?' Sungjin quickly glanced at the clock before turning back to him, 'You're early?'

'I'm just here to check if you have everything you need in the room. I'll be back with the rest later.' From the corner of his eye, he saw you bickering with Wonpil, whom you were still glaring at as he helped you with the assembling. 

_'Kihyun brought you here didn't he?'_

'You didn't have to, we'll manage.' 

_'No he didn't! I made it here by myself!'_

'Is there anything else that you need for later?' 

_'No you didn't.'_

Sungjin took a quick glance around the room, oblivious to the kids about to get into a fight in the corner of the room. 'We're good. Thank you so much.' 

_'He only reached after me!'_

'Okay, I'll see you in a bit then.' The band, with the exception of two occupied childish adults, waved Kihyun bye as he headed for the door.

Though he was certain he caught the last bit before the door closed behind him. 

_'Or did your Changkyun oppa fetch you here?'_

'OKAY, ENOUGH. THE BOTH OF YOU.' Sungjin had his hands on your shoulders as he steered you to your drum throne, 'You know he's just fooling around. Don't mind him.'

'But-'

'I know.' Sungjin gave your head a light pat, chuckling lightly as he saw you jutting out your lower lip in a pout, throwing a last glare at the troublemaker while reaching for your sticks. 'Wonpil, I know you're in a good mood today, but don't do that to Haeun.' 

Thankfully for you, all went smoothly from there, with no glaring, no bickering, no fighting- that was until the end of the combined practice. 

'Oh right, hope the place wasn't too hard for you to navigate through.' Hyunwoo brought up, out of no ill intentions, seeing that it was the first time practice was held at their place. 

Hearing that, Kihyun found himself tensing up unconsciously as YoungK quickly respon- 

'We didn't have any issues, but I'm not too sure about _this on_ e.' But Jae was quicker, not forgetting to nudge you to emphasize his last two words. 

_Great. Jaehyung oppa decided to join in the fun._ You immediately shot a glare at Jae. But of course, he loved seeing you struggle. It's his way of parenting he said- to get you to open up. _But if you put it that way, they’ll definitely ask what happened._

And you caught Wonpil grinning beside the older one. 

'Did you lose your way?' Jooheon asked as he looked at you curiously, along with the rest who now had all their attention on you. 

'Didn't you hear any announcement?' 

_Kim Wonpil! He better not-_

'The first time she was supposed to join us for practice at JYP- _ **‘Can Day6 come down to the lobby to collect your lost person.’**_ .'

* * *

  
**Where are you?**

**[Haeun] I’m late!**

**I know, you’re not here yet.**

The '1' symbol disappeared instantly, and he waited for a reply, but the three dots never appeared. 

**Are you lost?**

**It’s the same place that we’ve been coming to for the past few weeks.**

Changkyun gave you a few more seconds, even factoring in time for you to think up a response knowing that you have seen his message. 

_This girl really-_ He sighed, grabbing his bag as he turned to the rest who were all waiting for you. 'I'll go get her. You guys can go ahead first. We'll catch up.' 

His called was answered within the first ring, but there was silence from the other end, as expected. 'Where are you?'

**‘... Things look different when its dark out.’**

‘Where are you? I’ll come and get you.’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Thank you really much for waiting and hope that this chapter was alright!  
> And of course greatly appreciate the kudos and comments!  
> Thank you <3


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